I just finished reading a review of Power to Save the World: The Truth About Nuclear Energy which really gives one something to think about re nuclear power and the health of our world. The review was printed in Wired Magazine with the link to the article at the end of this note.
Startling fact: A family of four in France, where nuclear fuel is used, will produce only enough waste to fit in a coffee cup over a whole lifetime. A lifetime of getting all your electricity from coal-fired plants as used in the U.S. will make a single person's share of solid waste (in the United States) 68 tons, which would require six 12-ton railroad cars to haul away. Your individual share of CO2 would be 77 tons.
The only way to rescue our plug-hungry planet from catastrophic global warming is to embrace nuclear power, and fast. That's the argument of Gwyneth Cravens, journalist and former nuke protester. Her new book, Power to Save the World: The Truth About Nuclear Energy, is a passionate plea to understand, instead of fear, atomic power. In her book, Cravens is guided Dante-like through the entire life cycle of nuclear power -- from mining to production to waste disposal -- by one of the world's foremost experts on risk assessment and nuclear waste. Her conclusion? Every day spent burning coal for power translates into damaged lungs and ecosystem destruction. If the world wants to keep plugging in big-screen TVs and iPods, it needs a steady source of power. Wind and solar can't produce the "base-load" (or everyday) steady supply needed, and the only realistic -- and safe -- alternative is nuclear.
To find out more.
